Filling valve for a gas-fueled lighter



H. PICHL. FILLING VALVE FOR A GAS-FUELED LIGHTER Filed Nov. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1

.7nvenl0r: HEM/z PIC/IL H 1' roR/VE rs Jan. 3, 1967 H. PICHL FILLING VALVE FOR A GAS'FUELED LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1964 Jn venlar Henvz P/CHL United States Patent 3,295,567 FILLING VALVE FOR A GAS-FUELED LIGHTER Heinz Pichl, Offenbach am Main, Germany, assignor to Rowenta Metallwarenfabrik G.m.b.H., Gtfenbach am Main, Germany, a firm of Germany Filed Nov. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 410,883 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 9, 1963, R 27,521 2 Claims. (Cl. 141348) The present invention relates to a gas-fueled lighter and, more. particularly, to the filling valve of such lighter.

Lighters of this kind are generally filled by means of a gas-containing ampule, the neck of which may constitute part of a check valve. The neck when inserted into the filling valve of the lighter operates the same, thereby opening a passage to the outflow of gas from the ampule into the fuel tank of the lighter. The filling valve is usually a one-way check valve which is maintained closed by the gas pressure in the tank. During thefilling operation, the neck of the ampule often slides within a seal in the filling valve to avoid escape of gas.

It was found that such conventional arrangement remains satisfactory for a rather limited period of use only. The frictional engagement between the neck and the seal during each filling operation results in wear at the seal and a correspnding decrease in the sealing action thereof. The normal aging of the sealing material also has a detrimental efiect upon the sealing action.

Another known filling arrangement employs a filling valve with a hollow needle which pierces an elastic diaphragm or membrane in the neck of the ampule to open a passageway for the gas. Such an arrangement relies and must rely upon the self-sealing properties of the material used for the diaphragm. Unless'these properties are very high, the sealing action is insufiicient. The self-sealing capacity of materials customarily used for diaphragms of the kind here involved tend to deteriorate during the shelf life of ampules even if initially adequate.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved filling valve for lighters of the general kind above referred to which is simple to manufacture and produces an effective seal between the filling valve and the ampule neck inserted therein and has a long useful life.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved filling valve in which a sliding friction-causing movement of the neck of the ampule in reference to the seal in the filling valve of the lighter is eliminated, thereby avoiding, or at least reducing wear on the seal and thus one of the most significant causes for a breakdown of the seal after a comparatively short time.

The aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the invention and other objects, features and advantages which will be pointed out hereinafter, are attained by providing in the housing of the filling valve an elastic sealing member which seals the neck of the ampule during the filling operation and also transmits the insertion movement of the neck to the valve body to displace the latter into its valveopening position. The sealing member may have any suitable configuration such as a diaphragm-like annular disk. The height of the sealing member is preferably equal to at least half of the outer diameter of the neck of the ampule. Furthermore, the outer diameter of the annular sealing member is preferably larger and the inner diameter is preferably smaller before assembly in the filling valve than after assembly. In other words, the sealing member should be slightly precompressed when fitted into the filling valve to obtain a pressure engagement between the abutting surfaces of the filling valve and the sealing member.

In the accompanying drawing several preferred embodi- Patented Jan. 3, 1957 "ice ments of the invention are shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational sectional view of a filling valve according to the invention, and 7 FIG. 2 is a similar sectional view of a modification of the filling valve.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the filling valve is supported in the tank wall 1 of a gas-fueled lighter by means of a generally cup-shaped mounting member 2. Cap 2 is suitably secured for instance by soldering in a wall opening of the tank and receives a valve housing 3 retained in the cap by any suitable means such as a screw connection. The valve opening is covered in a conventional manner by a closure cap 4.

Valve housing 3 includes two generally sleeve shaped members 5 and 5a which may be pressed or stamped out parts. The upper rim of sleeve member 5 is turned over at 5b to clamp an elastic sealing member 6 between the turned overportion 5b and a shouldered portion 3a of housing 3. Member 6 has an upwardly raised flange portion 6a. The sleeve members 5 and 5a are retained in their positions in housing 3 by an inwardly turned rim 3b of the housing.

A valve body 7 is slidably disposed within sleeve members 5 and 5a. The valve body is pressed by a loaded coil spring 9 against the bottom side of the turned over portion 5b of sleeve member 5, whereby a sealing ring 8 is preferably interposed between the valve body and turned-over portion 5b.

A sleeve-shaped extension 7a rises from the top side of valve body 7 and includes at least one port 70 for the passage of fuel, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

The ampule with which the fitting valve according to the invention is designed to coact is not illustrated since it does not constitute part of the invention. Ampules of the kind herein referred to are of standard design and widely available in the market. They comprise a fuel-containing bottle portion which may be of any suitable shape and a neck portion which is often in the form of a tube designed to be fitted into the filling opening of the lighter tank for coaction with the valve thereof.

Let it now be assumed that the neck of the ampule is pushed into the valve body 3 and, more specifically, into the entrance throat defined by the portion 3a thereof. The end face of the neck tube will then exert a downward pressure upon the sealing member 6 and, more specifically, upon the rising flange 6a thereof. As a result, the flange will be pressed down upon the extension 7a of valve body 7 and the downward pressure upon member 6 will move the valve body downwardly, that is, into a position in which sealing ring 8 will become separated from turnedover flange 5b of sleeve member 5. A passageway for a flow of fuel from the ampule into the tank is now open through port or ports 70. As it is evident, the formation of a seal between portions 6a and 7a and the opening of the tank at port or ports 7c are successive operational stages which occur as the ampule is pressed downwardly in the valve.

To facilitate bending-over of sealing flange 6a, the same may be provided with one or several circumferential grooves as it is shown. The resulting decrease in the transverse cross sectional area of the flange will obviously increase the flexibility thereof.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the filling valve according to this figure is similar in principle to the one illustrated in FIG. 1 and described in connection therewith. Corresponding components are designated by the same numerals. The valve of FIG. 2 should be visualized as being mounted in the tank wall 1 as previously described.

The valve of FIG. 2 comprises a generally sleeveshaped member 50 turned over at its lower rim to retain a spring 90. The upper end of sleeve member 50 abuts against the lower rim of a generally ring-shaped member 10, the upper rim of which presses an annular diaphragm 60 against a shoulder 31 of a valve housing 30. The lower end of the valve housing is bent inwardly at 32 to retain sleeve member 50. The valve further comprises a lengthwise slidable valve body 70 which is pressed upwardly by spring 90 toward ring member 10. A sealing ring 80 is preferably interposed between ring member and a collar 70a of the valve body.

The valve body has on its top a boss 71 including a lengthwise duct 72 from which is branched off at least one fuel discharge port 73. This port is in communication with the tank similar to port 70 of FIG. 1. The central boss 71 protrudes through the opening of diaphragh 60.

As previously pointed out, the inner and outer peripheral outline of diaphragm 60 are preferably such that the diaphragm is precompressed when fitted into the position shown in FIG. 2 to obtain a pressure engagement between I the diaphragm and the adjacent surfaces of the valve housing and the valve body.

Pushing the neck of a gas-containing ampule of the kind previously described downwardly in the entrance throat defined by the valve housing presses the diaphragm against valve body 70 whereby sealing ring 80 becomes sepa rated from ring member 10 and passageway for the flow of fuel through port or ports 73 is opened. The pressure with which the rim of the ampule neck abuts against the diaphragm produces obviously an effective sealing between the ampule and the filling valve.

The configurations of the sealing members and of the coacting structural components of the valves as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be changed in several respects. It is only essential for the concept of the invention that the sealing members 6 and 60 respectively seal off the neck of the ampule during the filling operation and also transmit the downward movement of the ampule during the filling operation, or at least at the beginning thereof, upon the valve body 7 and 70, respectively.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certain now preferred examples and embodiments of the invention, it will be understood by those 4 1 skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made .without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention,

and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such change and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A filling valve of a fuel tank of a gas-fueled lighter,

said valve comprising a valve housing arranged to be. mounted on the fuel tank and having an opening definedv by an inner wall portion of the housing, a valve body movable in said housing opening between a valve closing position and a valve opening position, yieldable means biasing the valve body into its valve closing position, an elastic annular sealing member disposed within said housing opening between said inner wall portion of the housing and said valve body to define therebetween an entrance throat for the insertion of the neck of a fuel containing container, said sealing member including an annular disk References. Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,825,939 10/1931 Butler 251149.6 X r 1,850,111 3/1932 Kelsey 13723l X 2,135,222 11/1938 Scheiwer 251--l49.6 X 2,255,333 9/1941 Scheiwer 25 l- -149.6

SAMUELROTHBERG, Primary Examiner. L. D. GEIGER, Examiner.

E. J. EARLS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FILLING VALVE OF A FUEL TANK OF A GAS-FUELED LIGHTER, SAID VALVE COMPRISING A VALVE HOUSING ARRANGED TO BE MOUNTED ON THE FUEL TANK AND HAVING AN OPENING DEFINED BY AN INNER WALL PORTION OF THE HOUSING, A VALVE BODY MOVABLE IN SAID HOUSING OPENING BETWEEN A VALVE CLOSING POSITION AND A VALVE OPENING POSITION, YIELDABLE MEANS BIASING THE VALVE BODY INTO ITS VALVE CLOSING POSITION, AN ELASTIC ANNULAR SEALING MEMBER DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOUSING OPENING BETWEEN SAID INNER WALL PORTION OF THE HOUSING AND SAID VALVE BODY TO DEFINE THEREBETWEEN AN ENTRANCE THROAT FOR THE INSERTION OF THE NECK OF A FUEL CONTAINING CONTAINER, SAID SEALING MEMBER INCLUDING AN ANNULAR DISK HAVING ALONG ITS INNER PERIPHERAL RIM AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE PROTRUDING ABOVE THE UPPER END OF SAID VALVE BODY, SAID FLANGE BEING DEFORMABLE TO PARTLY OVERLAY SAID VALVE BODY UPON INSERTION OF SAID FUEL CONTAINER NECK INTO SAID THROAT AND TO THEREBY FORM AN ANNULAR SEAL BETWEEN SAID NECK AND SAID VALVE BODY, WHEREBY PRESSURE APPLIED TO SAID CONTAINER WILL BE TRANSMITTED VIA SAID SEAL TO MOVE SAID VALVE BODY TO THE OPEN POSITION. 